SSSI – Daily Situation Report

15 June 2007

Situation in Brief

Movement Status, Kabul – “Normal Movement”

Children killed by Uruzgan suicide bomber

Insurgent ploy in Nangarhar is unsuccessful

Security Incidents

Central Region

Kabul, Wardak, Parwan, Uruzgan, Ghazni

Fatal Traffic Accident: 14 June, Kabul City (District 12, Puli Charkh Area) – during the course of the morning a youth pushing a hand cart stepped out into the road in front of a CF convoy; youth was knocked down and injured; he died of his injuries; situation reported calm and under control.

Mortar Training Exercise: 15 June, Kabul City (KMTC, Jalalabad Road Area) – a warning was issued earlier today that there would be a mortar firing exercise at this location between 08.00 and 15.00 hours.

Attack: 13 June, Wardak Province, Nirkh District (Golo Ghondai Area) – in the early hours of the morning a police checkpoint was attacked; one policeman was killed and two others were injured.

Comment: This is almost identical, except for the date, to a report in DSR 13 June !!??

Abduction: 13 June, Wardak Province, Jaghato District (Sadat Khil Village) – two local males were abducted by unidentified gunmen; police investigating the report have apparently located a suspect vehicle; no further developments.

Arrest: 13 June, Parwan Province, Charikar District Centre - police arrested a suspected Taleban militant who was en route to Ghorband District; he was found to be in possession of a quantity of seditious material as well as an undisclosed amount of foreign currency.

Attack: 13 June, Uruzgan Province, Kas Uruzgan District – during the morning a police check point was attacked; nil reported casualties; police reinforcements were deployed and whilst en route one of their vehicles activated an anti-tank mine; vehicle was extensively damaged but no casualties reported.

Suicide/VBIED: 15 June, Uruzgan Province, Turin Kot District Centre – media reports that a suicide bomber has driven a VBIED into a NATO convoy; one NATO vehicle reported to have been destroyed and occupants injured; however, six children (passers-by) were killed in the blast and several others were injured.

Arrest: 12 June, Ghazni Province, Qarabagh District – security forces have apprehended a Pakistani suspected to be a member of a militant Islamic group; suspect understood to have received military training in Kashmir.

COIN Operations: 14 June, Ghazni Province, Andar District (Chardewal Area) – security forces are conducting counter-insurgency operations in the area; one insurgent, thought to be a commander, was killed and two others were captured; operations are on-going.

COIN Operations: 14 June, Ghazni Province, Jaghutu District (Waghaz Area) – during counter-insurgency operations three Taleban were captured.

Attack: 14 June, Ghazni Province, Ajristan District – during the course of the morning insurgents attacked the district administration buildings; during the subsequent engagement seven of the attackers were killed and several others arrested; three policemen were injured.

Northern Region

Sari Pul

Equipment Cache Recovered: 13 June, Sari Pul Province, Sari Pul City (Guzar Chalan Area) – a police anti-terrorist unit recovered a small cache of equipment/munitions/weapons as well as a communications radio.

Western Region

Hirat, Badghis, Farah

Narcotics Seizure: 12 June, Hirat Province, Gulrun District (Cha Nama Area) – Border Police located nearly two hundred kilograms of raw opium in a motor vehicle; nil arrests.

Murder: 13 June, Badghis Province, Ghurmach District – during the night a serving member if the Border Police and his father were shot dead at their home by unidentified gunmen.

Ambush: 14 June, Farah Province, Bala Buluk District – during the course of the morning a vehicle belonging to a local vehicle repair company was ambushed on the main Hirat/Kandahar highway; two persons were killed; no further details.

Murders: 14 June, Farah Province, Bala Buluk District – two bodies were located thought to be those of two local drivers who were abducted recently; insurgents suspected them of assisting the security forces in some way.

Southern Region

Kandahar, Zabul, Helmund

Cordon and Search: 13 June, Kandahar City (District 6) – ISAF conducted a cordon and search operation on a private compound resulting in the detention of seven suspects; no further details.

Robbery: 13 June, Kandahar Province, Kandahar District – late in the evening a group of armed men gained access to a compound housing local staff employed by a de-mining agency; staff were rounded up and locked in a room; gunman made off with five vehicles belonging to the agency as well as an unspecified number of agency uniforms and other equipment.

COIN Operations: 13 June, Kandahar Province, Zhare District (Pashmul Area) – joint security forces conducted counter-insurgency operations in the area; two local Taleban were killed and six others were wounded; operations continue.

IED: 14 June, Kandahar Province, Daman District – during the course of the morning a vehicle in a convoy which included UN vehicles was subjected to an IED strike; vehicle sustained minor damage; nil casualties.

Comment: Local assessment was that the device was poorly constructed.

Body Located: 14 June, Kandahar Province, Maiwand District – the body of a local government employee was located; no further details.

Attack: 13 June, Zabul Province, Mizan District – the district police HQ was attacked; three attackers were killed and several others reported as wounded; two local civilians were injured.

COIN Operations: 13 June, Zabul Province, Day Chopan District (Dozi Khan Area) – in on-going counter-insurgency operations in the area, police together with CF clashed with anti-government elements; twelve AGEs killed and four captured.

Abduction: 13 June, Helmund Province, Sangin District – a security guard is missing from a foreign-funded project in the area; Taleban claim they have captured the guard.

South Eastern Region

Paktya, Paktika, Khost

Explosion: 12 June, Paktya Province, Sayad Karam District (Kohsan Area) –an explosion, thought to have been an IED, occurred during the night at a school; significant damage to the buildings.

Weapons Cache Located: 13 June, Paktya Province, Zurmat District – security forces and police located a cache containing a substantial number of weapons; no details as to types/vintage.

Comment: Local assessment is that this is a cache belonging to current insurgents.

Fuel Tanker Stolen: 13 June, Paktya Province, Waza Zadran District (Sayed Khiel Bridge area) – during the course of the morning unidentified armed men stopped a fuel tanker; the driver managed to escape on foot; the fuel tanker has disappeared.

Cache Located: 13 June, Paktya Province, Zurmat District (Dolat Zai Area) – police located a sizeable cache containing rocket propelled grenades, assorted ammo, hand grenades, and ten anti-tank mines; no further details.

Murder: 13 June, Paktika Province, Tarwe District – during the early evening an engineer (no details) working for a construction company was shot and killed by suspected anti-government elements; motive not confirmed.

Murder: 13 June, Paktika Province, Charbaran District – the incinerated body of a policeman who was abducted a few days ago was located.

Warning - Suicide Bombers: 13 June, Khost City – information which is being taken seriously suggests that a number of suicide bombers have entered the city seeking targets (not specified); it is reported that the bombers might use Afghan army or police uniforms as a disguise, or may be carrying false security force/police identification documents with which to gain entry to official buildings/offices.

Eastern Region

Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman

Arrests: 09 June, Nangarhar Province, Jalalabad City – it is reported that security officials have detained two suspected insurgents found in possession of a quantity of explosives and other incriminating evidence.

Night Letters: 10 June, Nangarhar Province, Achin District – insurgents distributed ‘night letters’ in the area exhorting the local populace to support them in their holy war.

Insurgent Presence: 12 June, Nangarhar Province, Rodat District – it is reported that a group (10+/-) of insurgents has arrived in the area.

Comment: Reliability of information unknown.

Attack: 12 June, Nangarhar Province, Chaparhar District (Dago Area) – during the course of the afternoon one rocket impacted in open ground without any obvious target.

RCIED: 12 June, Nangarhar Province, Chaparhar District (Dago Area) – police were investigating the aforementioned incident when an RCIED detonated near one of their vehicles; nil casualties or damage; device appears to have been constructed from an anti-tank mine.

Comment: Would appear that the initial incident was simply used as a means of luring security forces/police into a trap.

Insurgent Presence: 13 June, Nangarhar Province, Achin District – information of unknown reliability suggested that a large (200 +/-) group of insurgents has arrived in the area with a view to attacking district centres in the surrounding districts.

Abduction: 13 June, Nangarhar Province, Sherzad District - two local national staff members of an NGO were en route to Jalalabad by vehicle when they were stopped by unidentified gunmen near Gundomak; the two were then abducted and their vehicle stolen; security forces conducting follow-up.

Attack: 13 June, Nangarhar Province, Kuz Kunar District (Shamol Area) – during the course of the evening a hand grenade was thrown into a private dwelling; several occupants injured; motive unknown.

DIAG: 13 June, Nangarhar Province, Muhmund District – during a disarming exercise about thirty assorted weapons were handed to the authorities.

Warning – Suicide Attack: 14 June, Nangarhar Province, Jalalabad City – information received suggests that a suicide bomber recruited from Kama District will try and target either the Indian Consulate in the city or Indian staff working for the Ministry of Public Health in the area.

Comment: Information is fairly specific and ought to be taken seriously.

Attack: 12 June, Kunar Province, Narang District (Badel Area) – during the course of the morning a security force base was attacked (small arms and RPG); engagement lasted about two hours; one local civilian was injured.

Attack: 12 June, Kunar Province, Pech District (Korangal Area) – during the course of the evening a security force base was attacked (small arms and RPG); engagement lasted about half an hour.

Munitions Caches: 12 June, Kunar Province, Nurgal District – it is reported that security officials have located three concealed munitions caches in the area; one arrest was made.

Insurgent Presence: 13 June, Kunar Province, Nurgal District – information of unknown reliability suggests that a new group (no numbers given) of insurgents has entered the area to attack security bases and plant IEDs on roads in the district.

Arrest: 11 June, Laghman Province, Alingar District (Kotalai Area) – security forces arrested a suspected insurgent who was in possession of a remote control device as well as other potentially incriminating evidence.

News/Information/Comments

News: Unidentified gunmen have ambushed and killed nine Pakistani troops.

Around midnight on Thursday night gunmen ambushed a military vehicle near a railway station in the town of Quetta killing nine soldiers and injuring at least four others who had just returned from leave. The attack came just hours after a visit to the centre by a senior American official. A spokesman for a local rebel movement, the Baluchistan Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the attack. The rebels have been waging a low-intensity war for years, demanding greater autonomy as well as a larger share of revenues derived from local natural resources.